A senior member of the Canadian men’s basketball program took a reporter aside a few months ago and expressed his anger over the fact that the federal government was taking forever in granting Matt Bonner citizenship.

“If Matt was a hockey player or had claimed refugee status, he’d by a friggin citizen by now,” said the dude.

That was almost a year ago.

And guess what.

Matt Bonner still isn’t a Canadian citizen.

Which means instead of being in Argentina this week with the senior men’s team, playing in the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament, the San Antonio Spurs forward is in his home state of New Hampshire, trying to figure out how to watch Wednesday night’s Canadian team opener against Brazil.

“Hopefully I can find the game on the Internet,” said Bonner, affectionately dubbed The Red Rocket during his time with the Toronto Raptors.

Team Canada’s games are all live on TSN 2, but being in the States, Bonner has to try to find the game on-line.

But that’s the least of his frustrations.

It’s been over two years since Bonner applied for citizenship, and still nothing.

Head coach Leo Rautins said earlier this year that the problem seems to be that Bonner hasn’t spent enough time on Canadian soil. But of course, being an NBA player on an American-based team, Bonner’s hands are tied, even though he spends most of the off-season in Toronto, where he owns a home.

The really disheartening part of the deal is that Bonner desperately wants to play for Team Canada at a time when some high-profile Canadian players, i.e. Steve Nash and NBA first-round draft pick Tristan Thompson, have turned their backs on the program.

“It’s a real bummer,” said Bonner, whose wife Nadia and daughter Evangeline-Vesper are Canadian, as was his grandfather.

“Hopefully it will happen before I get too old,” he added, with a laugh.

“I really want to represent Canada. The guys are on the team are all great guys, who work really hard. And it’s a really good coaching staff. It would be great to be part of the program.”

With his seven years of NBA experience and his excellent long-range shooting, Bonner, 30, would be a good fit on the Canadian team, which will really have to play over its head in order to finish in the top two in Argentina and qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

If the Canadians finish third to fifth at this week’s tournament, they’ll play in a last-chance Olympic qualifying tournament next summer.

But even finishing in the top five will be a tall order, though Rautins has said that if Canada does play in the qualifier next summer, he believes Nash, the two-time NBA MVP, will join the team.

Still, there are no guarantees.

Rautins said the national team players, which includes a couple of NBAers in Joel Anthony of the Miami Heat and Andy Rautins of the New York Knicks, as well as a group of experienced European league players, like Carl English and Jermaine Anderson, all love The Red Rocket, who spends time with the national team whenever he can.

Bonner expressed regrets that he missed Canada’s exhibition games earlier this month against the Belgian national team (he was his wife’s family reunion in London, Ont.), because he always wanted to be there to support the team and he wanted a chance to meet Cory Joseph, whom the Spurs selected in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft.

“I was going to show up at the game and make him carry my bag into the gym,” said Bonner, alluding to an NBA tradition where the rookies carry the equipment for the vets.

“Of course, I’m kidding. But I am looking forward to being his teammate in San Antonio.”

And with the national team, if that ever happens.

But Bonner insisted that he hasn’t reached the bitter stage yet, though he’s deeply disappointed that he’s not in Argentina this week playing.

“I’m not fed up yet,” he said.

“I understand that governments have their processes. I just have to keep trying to make my case and hopefully it eventually goes through.”

Yeah, while Canada still has a chance to qualify for the London Olympics.